129 – Hike out, Rest, Clean up

  Rox did not understand. “What are you talking about?”

  Steven explained. “In Veradale, Caspian cast some spell on me and Abey that allowed us to jump ridiculous distances in any direction. We were able to go from the ground level up two or three terraces at a time on the long jumps. On shorter ones it was jumping across streets and up a few floors at a time. I am wondering about using that same idea to just go up this climb.”

  Rox nodded. “I suppose it’s possible. But the magic will attract the attention of the three magic users who are currently scanning this area. I would just as soon walk.”

  Caspian looked up and around, while the Caplan’s continued talking. The wards he had set up the night before and the camouflage that Rox had set up were still going, so unless someone got into visual range, they were just another empty spot in the area. But there were a few active scans that he could sense, like hearing the echo of someone yelling. Caspian’s attention returned to the conversation, as Steven conceded to his wife’s reasoning. They would be walking.

  Once they packed and broke camp Rox took the lead, with a rope tied to her, then Alex, Caspian, Diana and Steven at the end. The kids would spend most of their time holding the hand of a parent, which allowed Steven to be led by someone who could see, and Alex to actually set the pace. Caspian just marched along between Steven and Rox as best he could, with his staff turned off for the moment. Cyrril was about, though mostly on Caspian’s shoulder where he could see for Caspian. For the most part nobody tripped or got lost, though Caspian and Steven occasionally were pulled around a corner.

  The road mostly went up the wall of the Rift, but in a few areas it would pass through a small boxed area. In places that had enough area it would switch back on itself. The road changed in elevation quickly, going up an incline then leveling for a bit, then going up again. This allowed for a rapid climb without a continual rise. Alex and Diana stopped several times for water. The adults appreciated the pauses. They were to the top shortly before lunch.

  Going the other direction, Rox and Caspian had not paused long at this point. Now, they all stopped to rest and catch their breath. As she looked around, Rox saw that this was a narrowing area between the walls, where both sides were closing in to a boxed area, almost level, perhaps big enough to park a small to medium size wagon train. The road went almost straight, and into a hole in the wall. A slight breeze came from the hole. Above the roof of the chamber was still not visible.

  “Dad, how high did we just climb?” Alex was sitting, and had taken his water bag off his shoulder and sipped at it while catching his breath.

  Steven could not see anything around him, but was able to hear that they were in a smaller area. “No idea, Alex. But my ears did pop twice as we came up.”

  Diana tabled the next item of business. “When do we eat? I’m hungry.”

  Caspian answered this. “We go up the road a ways further, through some tunnels, then we come into some caves and chambers. We can eat there.”

  Steven was surprised to hear Caspian talking in English, having been used to him speaking in native languages. Rox was less surprised, as Caspian had been using English since they had picked up Diana. The subject had not been brought up, but she figured she would ask Karen to implant some languages into the kids, the same as had been done to her in Shalaia.

  Steven nodded, and stretched his back a bit. “Is anyone behind us that you can sense?”

  Rox and Caspian both turned and looked back along the Rift the way they had come from. Caspian cast about with his passive senses, but only picked up the party around him. Rox also ‘listened’, and only picked up Caspian.

  Rox spoke first. “I don’t sense anybody. Do you?”

  “No. If everyone is ready, let’s get going.” Caspian turned to the tunnel. “Shield your eyes.”

  He reactivated the spell on his staff, and shortly a dim column of light projected from it. Caspian kept it pointed down mostly, and in front of him the rest of the time as he took the lead. Steven needing the light, he followed close to Caspian. Alex caught up to his dad, taking his hand or otherwise being nearby. Rox and Diana followed last.

  Journal of Steven Caplan: Day 150

  The trip out was almost anti-climatic. The only exciting thing was a few of us gagging on some mineral water.

  We had planned well, and ate the last of our food for breakfast before hiking the last couple of hours out to the surface. We had also lost some sense of time along the way, and came out after dark. Karen had the cargo tarp set up as a fly off the back of the wagon. She had also set up our tent sometime since we had last seen her.  The animals were near by, having been allowed to go farther to forage. Dinner simmered over a bed of coals when we came out. But to us it was a lunch time meal. As it was, the exertions and stresses of the last few days had us all ready for bed.

  The kids were nervous to be out of the cave, and of Karen. Neither spoke any language the other could understand at this point. After dinner the kids insisted that I sleep with them in the tent. They also wanted Rox inside, but there was not enough room for all of us. So Rox got under the tarp with Caspian. Karen remained in Caspian’s borrowed tent. Cyrril disappeared into the night.

  Steven had a dutch oven of bread going next to a the lid of the other which he used as a griddle for eggs, while the pot of the same was used to cook some meet and vegetables, all for breakfast, or actually for early lunch, as everyone woke well after dawn.

  The kids both got out of the tent in time to help Rox take care of the animals. Mainly this was to get the stake that Karen had tethered the hobbles of one of the ponies to, and move the animal to a fresh spot of grass, along the stream bank. The other pony and Karen’s horse both stayed near the hobbled one. Next they switched the hobble out to the other pony. Karen had mentioned to Rox the night before that she had been rotating which animal was hobbled. The animals done and seeing breakfast ready to serve to the first comers, they went back across the little meadow they were in.

  Caspian and Karen joined after the kids were given their portions. Diana and Alex were surprised at Steven’s bread. They gobbled the first hunks quickly, clearly enjoying it.

  As they ate, Steven and Rox caught themselves starting to talk to Karen in English, only for Karen to stop them and get them to switch to her language. Steven and Rox decided this would be addressed later, but needed to be addressed.

  With breakfast done, and the dishes washed off, Rox declared that everyone was going to bathe, regardless of how cold the water was. Also that they was going to be a day of resting before hitting the road again. As well, this would give Karen time to explain herself and what had happened in their absence. Then Steven noticed that there was a fresh pile of dirt near the north wall of the canyon meadow, about big enough for a few bodies.

  As the Caplan’s had only one set of washing stuff, each parent would take their respective child over and around the corner of the wall in the pond. This order being set Rox gathered her things, and Diana, and went to set the example.

  Cyrril showed up, and this being the first time Alex had seen him in daylight, he spent some time looking the little dragon over, and touching and holding him some. The young boy also started asking questions. Could he ask questions now, that they were out of the tunnels? What happened to his eyesight that everything was in color again? Why was Diana’s and mom’s hair white like Grandma’s? Why were there four moons? Why were only three visible at most? Two were almost full, and one was new. Where were they? Why were the stars different and what languages did these people speak? Could he keep his sword? Could Dad teach him how to use it? Could one of his uncles, or someone else that Mom knew? Who were these bad guys and why did they do what they did? Why did they take mom away instead of bringing her with? Who is this strange woman who was keeping the camp? Was she a friend of Caspian? Who was Caspian, and what did he do? …..

  Rox and Diana returned, both looking a bit damp. Rox had changed clothes to her spare set and proceeded to lay her damp set that she had been wearing out to dry, after having rinsed it out. Diana followed her mother’s example. Steven got his spare set of clothes and the spare for Alex, and took the soap and towel and took Alex around in the same direction Rox and Diana had been. Alex was a little nervous, about the water itself, but otherwise he and Steven were quickly washing up. Alex realized that his hair was now as white as his mother and sister’s. Following Rox’s example they both rinsed the clothes they had been wearing, and then getting out they shared the towel, dressed, and returned back to camp.

  Caspian got up and went to wash as Steven and Alex laid their clothes over the available tree branches to dry.

  Diana looked at her younger brother. “Alex, you need a hair cut. Your hair is all sticking up.”

  Alex took a moment to look his sister over. Rox and Karen were working on either side of Diana, braiding the sides of her hair into three braids like Rox had been wearing before letting them out to rinse her own hair. Unlike Rox’s length, Diana’s hair was too long front to back to stand up very far, and all folded over to the back. Seeing nothing to directly tease his sister over, he instead turned to his sword.

  The grip was overlarge for his boy-size hands, but he still held it correctly. The scabbard was of the same wood that the grip was, both finished to a matte red, and showed the blade had a slight curve to its shape. The crossbar was a stylized oblong disk at the end of the grip, just large enough to keep an adult hand from sliding past onto the blade. Alex drew the sword from its scabbard. For his childish stature, the sword was over sized. When grown to full adult size, it would be medium to short length with a single hand wield. It was single edged, with a rounded chisel point, and a mild fuller on the thicker part of the blade. It had a polished cutting surface but the rest of the blade was a matte finish. Alex immediately showed that he understood how sharp it potentially was, and was all business handling his sword.

  “I could use this to cut my hair. One swipe and it’s all the same length.”

  Steven watched his son, but was not yet ready to be excided. “Put your sword away, Alex. There is nothing here to use it on, unless you want to show-and-tell to us.”